More than 60 media professionals from across China arrived in Tokyo on December 12 for a week-long trip to exchange views with their Japanese counterparts in Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK) and Kyodo News.

They will also tour medical facilities to learn about Japan's advanced healthcare technology.

"Although relations between Japan and China date back to 2,000 years ago, people of the two countries still have misunderstandings on many issues," said Shigeo Yamada, Minister of the Japanese Embassy in China.

He told delegation members before their departure that he hoped the trip would help give them a "comprehensive" picture of Japan.

Despite growing economic interdependence, China and Japan often find themselves at odds over thorny issues such as the sovereignty of the Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea. Japan's uneasiness over its neighbor's rapid development has also taken a toll on their relationship.

During Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping's visit to Japan in 2009, then- Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama asked China to send media delegations to Japan as part of his efforts to improve mutual understanding and cement Sino-Japanese ties. More than 500 Chinese media professionals have visited Japan over the past two years.

The Chinese Government also plans to invite 100 Japanese media workers and scholars to visit China each year from 2011 to 2015.

(Reporting from Tokyo, Japan)